Motor racing-Triple F1 world champion Brabham dead at 88 Motor racing-Triple F1 world champion Brabham dead at 88 (adds Jones, Australian PM tributes in pars 6-8) By Nick Mulvenney SYDNEY, May 19 (Reuters) - Australian Jack Brabham, who won three Formula One world titles and is the only man to have won the championship driving a car bearing his name, died at the age of 88 on Monday. A fierce competitor, brilliant engineer and astute businessman, Brabham claimed the Formula One titles in 1959 and 1960 for Cooper Racing before going on to win a third in 1966 for the Brabham marque. He died at his home on Australia's Gold Coast. "It's a very sad day for all of us," his youngest son David, who also raced in Formula One, said in a statement. "My father passed away peacefully at home at the age of 88 this morning.

He lived an incredible life, achieving more than anyone would ever dream of and he will continue to live on through the astounding legacy he leaves behind." Described by 1980 world champion Alan Jones as "inspirational" to the Australian drivers that followed the trail he blazed, Brabham was also the subject of a tribute from his country's Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. "Australia has lost a legend," Abbott said in statement. "With his pioneering spirit, Sir Jack Brabham personified many great Australian characteristics. "He was respected and admired for his spirit, and for his great skill as an engineer." A former Royal Australian Air Force mechanic, Brabham began racing midget cars on cinder tracks in Australia in 1948 before moving to Britain to pursue his career in Formula One in the mid 1950s. Brabham became the first Australian to win the Formula One title in 1959, famously pushing his car uphill to the finishing line to seal the triumph after running out of fuel on the final lap at the U.S. Grand Prix at Sebring.

After his second triumph for Cooper, Brabham set up a company with friend and fellow Australian Ron Tauranac to design and build their own cars, one of which he drove to the Formula One title in 1966 at the age of 40. "NATURAL SPORTSMANSHIP" "On track he was always the toughest of tough competitors, tough sometimes to the point at which I'd wonder how could such a nice bloke out of a car grow such horns and a tail inside one," his British rival Stirling Moss recalled in the foreword to the "The Jack Brabham Story" in 2004. "You'd always know when Jack was on a charge because he'd crouch down and almost disappear within the cockpit. Tail-out, broadsiding, showering me with gravel and tuffets from the verge. "Dear me, you could take the Aussie out of the dirt tracks but you couldn't take the dirt tracks out of the Aussie.

But the greater side of Jack's character was always his natural sportsmanship." Nicknamed "Black Jack" for his mop of dark hair and taciturn nature, Brabham would become "Geriatric Jack" as he raced on into his 40s, his last victory coming at the 1970 South African Grand Prix in his final season when he was 43. In total, Brabham raced in 126 grands prix, taking pole position 13 times and winning 14 races. After retirement, Brabham sold his his team to Bernie Ecclestone, the Briton who would go on to run the sport, and returned to Australia. He was knighted for services to motor sport in 1979. His sons Geoff, Gary, and David later forged their own careers in motorsport, while the Brabham team name remained in Formula One until the early 1990s. "The word 'legend' is often used to describe successful sportsmen, but often it exaggerates their status.

In the case of Sir Jack Brabham, however, it's entirely justified," McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, who worked on the Cooper and Brabham teams in the 1960s, said in a tribute. "A three-time Formula One world champion, he remains the only driver to win a Formula One world championship driving a car bearing his own name - a unique achievement that will surely never be matched." (Additional reporting by Greg Stutchbury and Alan Baldwin, Editing by Ian Ransom) Reblog Triple F1 world champion Brabham dead at 88 Triple F1 world champion Brabham dead at 88 By Nick Mulvenney Tweet Share Former Formula One driver Jack Brabham of Australia is seen behind the pits before the qualifying session of the Australian F1 Grand Prix at the Albert Park circuit in Melbournein this March 26, 2011 file photo. REUTERS/Scott Wensley More By Nick Mulvenney SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Jack Brabham, who won three Formula One world titles and is the only man to have won the championship driving a car bearing his name, died at the age of 88 on Monday.

A fierce competitor, brilliant engineer and astute businessman, Brabham claimed the Formula One titles in 1959 and 1960 for Cooper Racing before going on to win a third in 1966 for the Brabham marque. He died at his home on Australia's Gold Coast. "It's a very sad day for all of us," his youngest son David, who also raced in Formula One, said in a statement. "My father passed away peacefully at home at the age of 88 this morning. He lived an incredible life, achieving more than anyone would ever dream of and he will continue to live on through the astounding legacy he leaves behind." A former Royal Australian Air Force mechanic, Brabham began racing midget cars on cinder tracks in Australia in 1948 before moving to Britain to pursue his career in the mid 1950s. Brabham became the first Australian to win the Formula One title in 1959, famously pushing his car uphill to the finishing line to seal the triumph after running out of fuel on the final lap at the U.S. Grand Prix at Sebring.

After his second triumph for Cooper, Brabham set up a company with friend and fellow Australian Ron Tauranac to design and build their own cars, one of which he drove to the Formula One title in 1966 at the age of 40. "On track he was always the toughest of tough competitors, tough sometimes to the point at which I'd wonder how could such a nice bloke out of a car grow such horns and a tail inside one," his British rival Stirling Moss recalled in the foreword to the "The Jack Brabham Story" in 2004. "You'd always know when Jack was on a charge because he'd crouch down and almost disappear within the cockpit. Tail-out, broadsiding, showering me with gravel and tuffets from the verge. "Dear me, you could take the Aussie out of the dirt tracks but you couldn't take the dirt tracks out of the Aussie.

But the greater side of Jack's character was always his natural sportsmanship." Nicknamed "Black Jack" for his mop of dark hair and taciturn nature, Brabham would become "Geriatric Jack" as he raced on into his 40s, his last victory coming at the 1970 South African Grand Prix in his final season when he was 43. In total, Brabham raced in 126 grands prix, taking pole position 13 times and winning 14 races. After retirement, Brabham sold his team to Bernie Ecclestone, the Briton who would go on to run the sport, and returned to Australia. He was knighted for services to motor sport in 1979. His sons Geoff, Gary, and David later forged their own careers in motorsport, while the Brabham team name remained in Formula One until the early 1990s. "The word 'legend' is often used to describe successful sportsmen, but often it exaggerates their status.

In the case of Sir Jack Brabham, however, it's entirely justified," McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, who worked on the Cooper and Brabham teams in the 1960s, said in a tribute. "A three-time Formula One world champion, he remains the only driver to win a Formula One world championship driving a car bearing his own name - a unique achievement that will surely never be matched." (Additional reporting by Greg Stutchbury and Alan Baldwin, Editing by Ian Ransom) Reblog “BIG JOHN” SURTEES | THE LONE RACER MOTORCYCLE & F1 WORLD CHAMPION | The Selvedge Yard by JP “BIG JOHN” SURTEES | THE LONE RACER MOTORCYCLE & F1 WORLD CHAMPION In all of history it has happened only once. Only one man has ever won the World Championship in both motorcycle and auto racing– John Surtees. In 1956, at the wee age of 22 yrs old, he became the 500cc motorcycle World Champion. Then in 1960, he switched full-time to auto racing, and was crowned Formula One World Champion in 1964.

At 26 yrs of age, he’d become the only man ever to win a World Championship on two wheels and four. There has been no one since, and perhaps nevermore. Grand Prix motorcycle racing career Active years 1972 Italian Grand Prix . 1954 — John Surtees with Norton motorcycles. Surtees rode these machines in the Isle of Man TT races in 1954 , finishing 11th in the Junior race and 15th in the Senior. Over his TT racing career he won on six occasions. In 1960, Surtees moved from motorcycles to car racing, and remains the only man to have been world champion in both. — Photograph via National Motor Museum / HIP / TopFoto . John Surtees racing for MV Agusta. When MV approached him at the end of the 1955 season, young 21-year-old Surtees, who was born into a well-to-do family of motorcycle enthusiasts in Catford, had already won 77 races, mainly with Norton 350’s and 500’s. He was capable of bringing Cascina Costa its first 500 title during his first season with the Italian brand.

Inventor of a new style that was challenged and that is at the roots of today’s riding technique with the body outstretched towards the inside of the curve, he won another six titles in the 350 and 500 classes between 1958 and 1960. Of course they were “easy” years for MV due to the fact that the leading rivals pulled out. via . John Surtees getting air… . This pic is often credited as being John Surtees scratching on his father’s Vincent in the 1950s. But it’s been proven now, by his own acknowledgement that it’s not. . Isle of Man TT, 1957 — John Surtees . 1957 — TT Assen, (Left to Right) John Surtees – Keith Campbell – Libero Liberati – Dickie Dale. . 1958 — At the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. Germany was banned from taking part in International events following WWII– as such, the German GP only became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1951.

(Left to Right) June Hartle, John Hartle, John Surtees, John Surtees sister & mother. via . John Surtees grew up the son of a London motorcycle dealer, and had his very first professional race in the sidecar of his father’s Vincent, which they handily won. However, they were later disqualified by race officials when discovered his age. In 1950, at just 16 yrs of age, he joined Vincent as an apprentice. John Surtees first made the motorcycling world take notice when, in 1951, he gave Norton’s reigning star Geoff Duke a run for his money in an ACU race at the Thruxton Circuit. . England, 1960 — British motorcycle racer John Surtees fine tunes his Formula II Cooper motorcycle. — Image by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis . John Surtees drives his F1 Lotus up University Avenue heading towards the raceway for the 1960 U.S. Grand Prix. This pic is so rad I want to cry. via . 1962– John Surtees, driver for Lola-Climax, at the Belgium Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.

— Image by © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . Dutch Grand Prix, Zandvoort, Netherlands, 1963 — John Surtees (GB), for Scuderia Ferrari SpA SEFAC in the iconic 156 F1– first built by Ferrari in 1961 to comply with new F1 regulations at the time that lowered engine displacement from 2.5 to 1.5 liters. It was powered by the V6 “Dino” engine (named after Enzo’s late son) that could produce up to 200 hp. The early “sharknose” design was breath-taking, but Ferrari design scrapped it by the end of the ’63 season for the more conventional intake seen above. via . 1963– Richie Ginther, driver for BRM, leads John Surtees, driver for Ferrari, around a corner at the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. — Image by © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . Zandvoort, Netherlands, 1964 — John Surtees and fellow Formula One racers on grid for the Dutch Grand Prix — Image by © Schlegelmilch/Corbis .

1964 — Formula One racing legend John Surtees . John Surtees and fellow drivers run to their sportscars during the start of the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. — Image by © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . 1965– Driver John Surtees, and Ferrari Formula One car designer at the time, Mauro Forghieri. . May 30th, 1965 — John Surtees, driving a Ferrari 158 V8, follows his teammate Lorenzo Bandini, driving a Ferrari 1512 F12, during the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. — Image by © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . French Grand Prix, 1965 — John Surtees (Ferrari), struck powerless to defend his F1 crown against the surging Scots– Jim Clark (Lotus/Climax) and Jackie Stewart (BRM). — Photograph © Schlegelmilch via . June 12th, 1966 — John Surtees, racing for Ferrari, turns a corner in the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps.

The 1966 season ushered in larger 3-liter engines to Formula One. Surtees’s debut with Ferrari’s new F1 car was at the 1966 BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone, where he qualified and finished a close second behind Jack Brabham’s 3-liter Brabham BT19. A few weeks later, Surtees led the Monaco Grand Prix, pulling away from Jackie Stewart’s 2-liter BRM on the straights, before his engine failed. Two weeks later Surtees survived the first lap rainstorm which eliminated half the field and won the Belgian Grand Prix. — Photograph © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . Fans, drivers, and race officials get into position shortly before the start of the 1966 German Grand Prix at Nuerburgring. The front row of drivers (Left-Right) Jim Clark in his Lotus-Climax, John Surtees in a Cooper-Maserati, Jackie Stewart in his BRM, and Ludovico Scarfiotti in his Ferrari. — Photograph © Schlegelmilch/Corbis .

1966 was the year that Ford swept the 24 Hours of Le mans powered by Carroll Shelby’s GT 40 Mk. II’s. Finally getting the upper hand on Ferrari. It was not Ferrari’s only loss at Le Mans– John Surtees arrived at the race expecting to be partnered with Mike Parkes– instead Ferrari team manager Eugenio Dragoni had put “Big John” with Ludovico Scarfiotti. Surtees quit Ferrari, and finished the season driving for the Cooper-Maserati team, winning the last race of the season and finishing second in the drivers’ championship, 14 points behind Brabham. . 1967 — The Chaparral prototype of Phil Hill and the Lola Aston Martin prototype of John Surtees have yet to move off their marks as the Porsche armada leaves the start line with Jo Siffert in the lead at the start of the 1000km Nurburgring race in the World Sportscar Championships. — Photograph © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . John Surtees, driving for the Honda racing team, adjusts his goggles before the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.

— Photograph © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . in 1967, John Surtees joined the new Honda racing team– above he’s racing at the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Surtees was forced out of the race after 32 laps due to engine trouble. At the Italian Grand Prix that year, Surtees slipstreamed Jack Brabham to take Honda’s second F1 victory by 0.2 seconds. Surtees would finish fourth in the 1967 drivers’ championship. — Photograph © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . 1968 — Lotus-Ford Formula One driver Jo Siffert stops to borrow a dry visor from retired teammate Graham Hill as John Surtees speeds past in his Honda during a wet French Grand Prix. — Photograph © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . Bergamo, Italy, 1965 — Scuderia Ferrari Formula One race team in 1965 including racecar drivers Lorenzo Bandini (in car), John Surtees (far right) and race engineer Mauro Forghieri (third from right). — Image by © Manuel Litran/Corbis .

Monza, Italy — Honda driver John Surtees prepares for the 1968 Italian Grand Prix in Monza. — Image by © Schlegelmilch/Corbis . Monza, Italy — Honda driver John Surtees waits during a pit stop in the 1968 Italian Grand Prix in Monza. — Image by © Schlegelmilch/Corbis RELATED TSY POSTS: Greatest Ever: Formula One: Top Ten Drivers of All Time | Bleacher Report Greatest Ever: Formula One: Top Ten Drivers of All Time By Barney Corkhill , Senior Writer Jul 14, 2008 Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse more stories 9.7K The sixth installment of my Greatest Ever series is here! In this series I will look at the greatest talents to grace various sports. This time I look at Formula One, and the greatest drivers the sport has ever seen. Enjoy! 10. Jack Brabham (AUS) - Jack Brabham is a three-time World Champion, who won two World Championships back-to-back in 1959 and 1960.

He raced 128 times in his 15-year career, winning 14 of those races and achieving 31 podium finishes. His 1966 World Championship triumph was extra special as he became the only man to win a Formula One World Championship with one of his own cars. 9. Nelson Piquet (BRA) - Another one of the handful of drivers to win three World Championships, all of Piquet's triumphs came in the 1980s. In his 207 races, he recorded 23 wins and 60 podium finishes. He also won 481.5 points in his career, a total not many have surpassed. 8. Alberto Ascari (ITA) - Some would argue that Ascari doesn't deserve to be on this list; others would say he should be higher up. He may have only raced 33 times, but he still managed to win two World Championships. The main reason he is on this list, though, is his win percentage. He won 13 of his 33 races, including seven in a row in one season, a record equaled only by Michael Schumacher.

He also achieved 17 podium finishes. 7. Niki Lauda (AUS) - Lauda is another of the small group to have won three World Championships, with nine years between his first and last Championship wins. He won 25 of his 177 races, finishing on the podium a total of 54 times. He competed with five different manufacturers, with two of his Championships coming at Ferrari and his last coming after a return to the sport with McLaren. 6. Sir Jackie Stewart (SCO) - "The Flying Scot" is another three-time World Champion. All his Championships wins came for Tyrell in 1969, 1971, and 1973. He won 27 of his 100 races, getting on the podium 43 times, which means that he's finished in the top three in 47 percent of his races. He remains the only man to win a World Championship in a French-built car. 5. Jim Clark (SCO) - The dominant driver of his era, he was the predecessor to Jackie Stewart, winning the World Championship in 1963 and 1965.

He died in a crash in 1968 while racing in Germany after just eight years of racing. Without the accident, he probably would have added to his two World Championships. He won 25 of his 73 races, more than a third, and found himself on the podium 32 times. 4. Alain Prost (FRA) - A four-time World Champion, only two men have won more than Alain Prost. He had a notable rivalry with teammate Ayrton Senna while at McLaren. He won 51 of his 202 races, with 106 appearances on the podium. The 768 career Championship points he achieved is the second highest total in F1 history. His 51 wins is also the second highest total of wins in history. 3. Juan Manuel Fangio (ARG) - The first superstar of Formula One, Fangio dominated the 1950s, winning all of his five World Championships in that decade. His record of five World Championships stood for 46 years, and his record of winning five Championships with four different teams (Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari) still stands to this day.

He won four Championships in a row form 1954-1957 and won nearly half of the races he competed in (24 of 52). He also appeared on the podium 35 times. 2. Ayrton Senna (BRA) - The last driver to be killed while driving an F1 car, Senna is considered by many to be the greatest ever. His tragic end was watched by millions on live TV as they saw a great of the sport succumb to an early death. A joy to watch on and off the track, Senna won his three World Championships in 1988, 1990 and 1991. He won 41 of his 162 races and reached the podium 60 times. Although his statistics are perhaps eclipsed by others, as a driver there were few, if any, better. 1. Michael Schumacher (GER) - His domination of his sport can be compared to that of Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. However, unlike those two, Schumacher has made it as the best in my opinion. When he got in full swing, the records started tumbling.

He holds the record for most World Championships (seven), most consecutive World Championships (five), most race victories (91), most fastest laps (76), most pole positions (68), most points scored (1,369) and most races won in a single season (13). He is also the only driver to have achieved an entire season of podium finishes, on his way to his 154 podium finishes. Overall, Schumacher holds 31 Formula One records. Although often a controversial driver, Schumacher has, in my view, done enough to be considered the best of all-time in his sport. Jack Brabham: Formula 1's greatest drivers - number 18 - BBC Sport Jack Brabham: Formula 1's greatest drivers - number 18 By Andrew Benson From the section Formula 1 Share this page Media playback is not supported on this device F1's greatest drivers - Number 18, Jack Brabham BBC Sport is profiling 20 of the greatest Formula 1 drivers of all time. The BBC F1 team were asked to provide their own personal top 20s, which were combined to produce a BBC list.

Chief F1 writer Andrew Benson profiles number 18, Aussie great Jack Brabham - while Murray Walker gives his own recollections in the video above. Sir Jack Brabham is one of a select band of just eight drivers who have won the world title three times or more, but his achievements go far beyond that. He is also the only man to have won a title in a car bearing his own name. The gritty Australian had a 15-year career that spanned two golden ages of F1. His rivals in that time included legendary names such as Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt - all of whom have places on this BBC F1 list of the 20 greatest drivers of all time. Jack Brabham was the Formula 1 champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966 In some ways, Brabham has come to be remembered more for setting up the team that bore his name - and which went on to be taken over by current F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and win two world championships with Nelson Piquet, including the first with a turbo-charged car in 1983.

Brabham the driver has in some ways been relegated to a more diminished role in his history. Yet in many ways he was under-rated. To win his first world title, in 1959, he had to beat the great Moss, driving a Lotus, and the Ferrari of Tony Brooks, a man who Moss rated extremely highly. OK, it was a title won by stealth as much as outright pace, with Brabham driving only as fast as he needed to and often waiting for Moss's car to break, but he was always there or thereabouts. In 1960, his second championship year, he dominated, taking five straight wins as his Cooper team again benefited from the fragility of Moss's Lotus. Following a year of domination by the 'shark-nose' Ferrari 156, Brabham set up his own team in 1962, and the next few years were about building it into a consistently competitive force. The team's first win, at the 1964 French Grand Prix at Rouen, was actually taken by Brabham's team-mate, the American Dan Gurney - a great driver in his own right.

Brabham himself had to wait until 1966 - again in France, this time at Reims - to become the first man in history to win a grand prix in a car of his own manufacture. That victory, when it came, opened the floodgates. Brabham went on to win in Britain, Germany and Holland to add the world championship as well. Jack Brabham Factfile 1955 - debut at Aintree in a Cooper-Bristol 1959 - wins title in a Cooper, the first mid-engined F1 car, clinching it at Sebring after Ferrari's Tony Brooks chooses to come in to the pits to investigate a potential problem, and Moss retires 1960 - five straight wins in Holland, Belgium, France, GB and Portugal lead to a second consecutive title 1962 - sets up Brabham with Ron Tauraunac 1964 - Dan Gurney wins French Grand Prix at Rouen to take first win for Brabham 1966 - Brabham wins French Grand Prix at Reims to become first man to win a grand prix in a car of his own manufacture.

Goes on to win in Britain, Germany and Holland and take title, becomes the only man to win the world title in one of his own cars. 1970 - embarrassing last-corner crash in Monaco hands win to Jochen Rindt 1978 - Knighted It is a record that is likely to stand forever, and Brabham worked hard for it. Although the cars were designed by his partner Ron Tauraunac, Brabham himself was heavily involved in their engineering. For 1966, he persuaded the Australian company Repco to design a new eight-cylinder engine for the new three-litre formula that was introduced that year - against the trend for engines of higher numbers of cylinders, but along the lines on which Cosworth were working for what was to become the defining DFV, introduced the following year. The Repco was not the most powerful engine, but it helped give a good power-to-weight ratio in a car that had good handling and good tyres. Meanwhile, Brabham's chief rivals were all hamstrung in various ways - Ferrari parted company with their number one driver, John Surtees, part way through the season and Clark was hamstrung by the engines in his Lotus.

Brabham was 40 when he won his final title that year, but he remained a force right up until his retirement at the end of 1970. His final season is chiefly remembered for his involvement in the race that set Jochen Rindt on the path to the world championship - Brabham buckled under the pressure of a quite remarkable drive by the Austrian and crashed at the final corner of the race, gifting Rindt victory. In fact, though, Brabham had a strong season and, but for some unlucky breaks that robbed him of potential wins in Britain and Germany, he might conceivably have ended his final season as champion. Brabham had a reputation as a tough, uncompromising competitor who his rivals felt pulled every trick in the book to keep them behind. Jack Brabham driving one of his own cars at Silverstone After a race-long battle for fourth place with Chris Amon's Ferrari at Silverstone in 1967, Amon remembered: "Jack was throwing everything in the book at me - stones, grass, dirt, everything. I remember he was adjusting his wing mirrors early in the race - and one of them flew off and whistled past my head!

Then he seemed to be adjusting the other one - I've never been quite sure whether he was adjusting them or trying to tear them off. "After about 30 laps, he'd lost both mirrors and then we had a real tussle. That was a very wide car indeed, but of course afterwards he tells me he's very sorry for chopping me all over the place but his mirrors were gone and he didn't know I was there!" Jack Brabham was a man of few words, who perhaps lacked the charisma of some of the other drivers on this list. But his achievements mark him out as undoubtedly one of the greatest figures in the history of F1. Share this page Triple F1 world champion Brabham dead at 88 - Yahoo Sport Triple F1 world champion Brabham dead at 88 By Nick Mulvenney 19 May 2014 04:56  .

View photo Former Formula One driver Jack Brabham of Australia is seen behind the pits before the qualifying session … By Nick Mulvenney SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Jack Brabham, who won three Formula One world titles and is the only man to have won the championship driving a car bearing his name, died at the age of 88 on Monday. A fierce competitor, brilliant engineer and astute businessman, Brabham claimed the Formula One titles in 1959 and 1960 for Cooper Racing before going on to win a third in 1966 for the Brabham marque. He died at his home on Australia's Gold Coast. "It's a very sad day for all of us," his youngest son David, who also raced in Formula One, said in a statement. "My father passed away peacefully at home at the age of 88 this morning.

He lived an incredible life, achieving more than anyone would ever dream of and he will continue to live on through the astounding legacy he leaves behind." Described by 1980 world champion Alan Jones as "inspirational" to the Australian drivers that followed the trail he blazed, Brabham was also the subject of a tribute from his country's Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. "Australia has lost a legend," Abbott said in statement. "With his pioneering spirit, Sir Jack Brabham personified many great Australian characteristics. "He was respected and admired for his spirit, and for his great skill as an engineer." A former Royal Australian Air Force mechanic, Brabham began racing midget cars on cinder tracks in Australia in 1948 before moving to Britain to pursue his career in Formula One in the mid 1950s. Brabham became the first Australian to win the Formula One title in 1959, famously pushing his car uphill to the finishing line to seal the triumph after running out of fuel on the final lap at the U.S. Grand Prix at Sebring.

After his second triumph for Cooper, Brabham set up a company with friend and fellow Australian Ron Tauranac to design and build their own cars, one of which he drove to the Formula One title in 1966 at the age of 40. "NATURAL SPORTSMANSHIP" "On track he was always the toughest of tough competitors, tough sometimes to the point at which I'd wonder how could such a nice bloke out of a car grow such horns and a tail inside one," his British rival Stirling Moss recalled in the foreword to the "The Jack Brabham Story" in 2004. "You'd always know when Jack was on a charge because he'd crouch down and almost disappear within the cockpit. Tail-out, broadsiding, showering me with gravel and tuffets from the verge. "Dear me, you could take the Aussie out of the dirt tracks but you couldn't take the dirt tracks out of the Aussie.

But the greater side of Jack's character was always his natural sportsmanship." Nicknamed "Black Jack" for his mop of dark hair and taciturn nature, Brabham would become "Geriatric Jack" as he raced on into his 40s, his last victory coming at the 1970 South African Grand Prix in his final season when he was 43. In total, Brabham raced in 126 grands prix, taking pole position 13 times and winning 14 races. After retirement, Brabham sold his team to Bernie Ecclestone, the Briton who would go on to run the sport, and returned to Australia. He was knighted for services to motor sport in 1979. His sons Geoff, Gary, and David later forged their own careers in motorsport, while the Brabham team name remained in Formula One until the early 1990s. "The word 'legend' is often used to describe successful sportsmen, but often it exaggerates their status.

In the case of Sir Jack Brabham, however, it's entirely justified," McLaren team boss Ron Dennis, who worked on the Cooper and Brabham teams in the 1960s, said in a tribute. "A three-time Formula One world champion, he remains the only driver to win a Formula One world championship driving a car bearing his own name - a unique achievement that will surely never be matched." (Additional reporting by Greg Stutchbury and Alan Baldwin, Editing by Ian Ransom) Sports & Recreation Sir Jack Brabham obituary: The man who built his own winning car - BBC News BBC News Sir Jack Brabham obituary: The man who built his own winning car 19 May 2014 Image copyright Other Image caption Sir Jack Brabham: One of motor racing's greats Sir Jack Brabham was one of motor racing's great figures. He was three times world champion and a lasting influence in car construction. Young Brabham's place in the heart of Formula One fans was assured as long ago as 1959. The venue was Sebring in the United States, and the new kid on the starting block was on the verge of clinching his first world championship.

After 41 laps and 500 yards from the finishing line, Brabham ran out of fuel. He summoned his considerable upper body strength to push his Cooper-Climax over the line and became the only man to take a Formula One world title on foot. Brabham's prowess the following year proved irresistible. With five wins in succession, he regained the world championship, again in a Cooper. The car's designer, John Cooper, called the Australian giant "the wiliest man in motor racing". Banned for an unfair advantage A former student of mechanical engineering and a wartime Royal Australian Air Force flight mechanic, Brabham had come to England as a touring owner-driver in 1955 and built his own F1 car in time for the British Grand Prix. Image copyright Not Specified Image caption Roaring success: One of the Brabham fleet By 1960, he was two-times world champion, but felt his engineering instincts were unused. Brabham decided to forge a new career as a car constructor. With fellow Australian Ron Tauranac, Brabham set up Motor Racing Developments.

Dan Gurney brought the team its maiden victory at Rouen a year later, but Jack was not finished with the track himself. Racing heritage In 1966, the veteran emerged from semi-retirement to claim his third world title. He remains the only driver ever to do so in a car bearing his name, but Jack always paid tribute to the teamwork behind the cars. Both Ron Dennis and Gordon Murray of the celebrated McLaren team are ex-Brabham mechanics. The following year Jack's team mate Denny Hulme won a second world championship for Brabham, again with the Repco V8 engine. Image copyright Not Specified Image caption Jack encouraged younger drivers Brabham cars won a further two world titles in 1981 and 1983, this time with Nelson Piquet in the driving seat, and with the team under the mighty auspices of racing supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Jack Brabham himself retired from driving in 1970 and sold his team shares at the same time. However, he never lost his passion for the track and, as seems familiar with motor racing, instead passed it on to his sons.

History-making All three have enjoyed notable success in different fields of the sport. When his son, David, was installed in a later incarnation of Jack's former team, his father found unbelievably exciting the concept of "another Brabham in a Brabham". In April 2000, the daredevil dynasty made history in Adelaide, when Brabham lined up on the grid with two of his sons. The third was prevented from taking part by his Le Mans contract, but took part in demonstration laps. Knighted in 1979, Brabham saw no reason to slow down, and later joined forces with the engineering company Mayflower to work on producing a cleaner car engine. Yet still he continued to race. In 1999, he cut a deal with the nurses to get out of hospital after crashing at 100mph on the Goodwood circuit. "I can't remember what happened," he admitted, "but apparently I came sixth out of 25, which wasn't bad as I ended up against a wall."

Question: Who is the only man to have won the World Driver's championship driving his own car
Answer: Jack Brabham